The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus, a focus control method for an endoscope apparatus, and the like.
When performing screening examination utilizing an endoscope apparatus, the endoscope apparatus is required to achieve as deep a depth of field as possible so that the user can observe a deep digestive tract. In recent years, the number of pixels of the image sensor used for the endoscope apparatus has been increased, and it has become difficult to capture a panfocus (deep-focus) image since the aperture is limited due to the diffraction limit. The user must bring the object into focus when it is difficult to capture a panfocus (deep-focus) image.
For example, JP-A-2011-139760 discloses an endoscope apparatus that divides the captured image into a plurality of areas, selects the autofocus (AF) control target area from the plurality of areas, and performs an autofocus control process based on the image in the selected area. According to the endoscope apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2011-139760, the user need not manually perform a focus control process.